Amy Elliott Bragg

Detroit Free Press guest writer

Preservationists hope that the National will one day light up downtown Detroit once again. / Detroit Free Press file photo

Amy Elliott Bragg

More

ADVERTISEMENT

Yet another Detroit landmark is at risk. Yes, another one.

The National Theatre is caught in a tug-of-war between an owner who failed to deliver on promises to develop the gem for over a decade; the City of Detroit, which is trying to regain possession of the building; and Rock Ventures LLC, Dan Gilbert’s real estate arm, which has bought up most of the property around it, and is eyeing the site for new development.

Whoever wins the day owes it to Detroiters to save and restore the National, an anchor to our past and an irreplaceable asset.

When it opened in 1911, the National made headlines for its glamour. With its handsome terra cotta facade, gold-domed towers, made-in-Detroit Pewabic tile and a grand arched entryway, the National classed up the Monroe block (by then already a little careworn) with style. At night, bulbs behind the grille of the towers turned the National’s facade into a glorious circus of light.

Today, like most 100-year-old buildings in this city, the National is a link to countless lives and stories. The National hosted a variety of performances, from Venetian gondolier bands to live vaudeville and burlesque shows to adult films. Since closing in 1975, it has been weathered by decades of change, decay and halted efforts at revival.

In 1990, almost the entire block of Civil War-era buildings on Monroe Street was razed — only the National was spared, in hopes that one day someone would take advantage of its incredible potential.

Now the National sits empty amid a tempest of development. The climate is promising, but the building’s fate remains uncertain. What is the next story the National Theatre will tell?

Detroit’s historic buildings matter to our past and our future. Redeveloping them, rather than tearing them down, is usually more cost-effective, creates more jobs and uses less energy than demolition and new construction.

Moreover, keeping these historic buildings creates a place where more people want to live and work. This is a strategy that Dan Gilbert and other developers have already embraced. The National should be no exception.

(Page 2 of 2)

But there’s a bigger dream here, too. The Detroit Opera Theatre was a wreck when restoration began, with holes in the ceiling and extensive damage from water, fire, scrapping and exposure to the elements. But its painstaking renewal has inspired change, transformation and wonder on Broadway and beyond. David DiChiera saved the building not because it was cheap, but because he loved it, because others loved it, and because it was worth saving.

What could the National be? We’re picturing a space like the Rialto Theatre in Tampa, a 1925 building that will be restored and converted into art galleries and dance studios, with space for events and small businesses. Incorporated into a residential development on the rest of the block, the National could become a hub of creative energy for the neighborhood. The possibilities are boundless — and thrilling.

The National Theatre is a landmark and deserves to be treated as such: It’s the last survivor of Detroit’s original theater district, one of the last standing live burlesque theaters of its era, Albert Kahn’s only known theater design, and a distinctive contribution to the city’s architectural cache.

It is a crime that the building has been allowed to fall apart for so long, but saving the National should be a question not of duty, but of tremendous opportunity.